One Tree Hill

by

U2

Album: The Joshua Tree      Released: 1987

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U2 wrote this about Greg Carroll, a Maori from New Zealand who became an assistant and close friend of Bono after he met the band in 1985 while they were in his country. He was killed a year later when he was hit by a car while running an errand for Bono on Bono's motorcycle. The album The Joshua Tree, as well as this song, are dedicated to Greg Carroll.

One Tree Hill is the tallest of 5 volcanic islands in Auckland where Greg Carroll took Bono his first night in New Zealand. It is a tourist attraction in Auckland, with a monument at the summit dedicated to John Logan Campbell, one of Auckland's founding fathers.

The lyrics describe the traditional Maori burial that Greg Carroll was given at One Tree Hill.

In 1994, the One Tree Hill tree was the victim of a chainsaw attack by a Maori activist which almost ringbarked it. A further attack in 1999 all but finished the job and the life expectancy of the tree was estimated to be only three years. By October 2000, the pine had become unstable and was a danger to the public. After careful study of the condition of the tree, the decision was made to take it down. The felling operation was successfully carried out on October 26 amid much public attention, and the Auckland skyline was changed forever. (thanks, Copper - Auckland, New Zealand)

"Jara" refers to Victor Jara, a folk singer from Chile who was killed after a military uprising for his political beliefs.

Bono felt he could perform this only once, and did just one take in the studio.

There is a place in England called One Tree Hill, but it has nothing to do with this song.

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Comments:

Great song and sometimes forgotten on"The Joshua Tree", I always liked it becouse of it's content. R.I.P. Greg
- Jim, Long Beach, CA

This is my favorite U2 song of all time. While it written of a friend from New Zealand it takes me to thoughts of Africa. One bit of beautiful irony in these lyrics is that Bono has become a champion of human rights development in Africa--central Africa is referred to as the "Heart of Darkness" in works of literature and remains a "fire zone" as Africa is home to nearly half of all ethnic conflict and civil wars in the world today. How many poets speak their hearts and bleed for it in Africa today? How much blood cries from the ground there?
- Sam, Grove City, PA

Truely one of U2's best. right up there with "Bad" I knew it was written for thier freind that was killed but I always wondered about the "Jara" part, who he was and what his story was. Now I know..
- shawn, Frostburg, MD

I am lucky enough to live right near Cornwall Park (the park surrounding One Tree Hill) in Auckland, New Zealand, ten minutes walk from the summit. Sadly the tree was taken down after a maori activist attacked it in the name of making a political statement in 2000. It is often referred to now as 'Un-tree Hill'. The song One Tree Hill inspires such raw emotion. "The moon is up, and over One Tree Hill... we see the sun going down in your eyes"... I am lucky enough to have seen the moon up over One Tree Hill :-)
- Helen, Auckland

My Favorite U2 song! So much feeling, emotion.......that's what music is about!
- Graystroke, San Francisco, CA

Quite possibly the best song on The Joshua Tree.
- Miles, Vancouver, Canada

Originally the tree on One Tree Hill was a native, as Nga Tangata Whenua (people of the land) were the original founders of Auckland. That tree was cut down by colonialists from England and replaced with a pine tree. Maori iwi (tribes) were displaced by lawyers and war-mongers. Tangata Whenua are still seeking justice and equality. Cutting down the pine was an act of utter frustration at 200 years of disenfranchisement by a government with a will to reep Godzone for international economic interests.
- Benjamin Parsons, Wellington, New Zealand

The lyrics Jara sang his song a weapon, in the hands of love / You know his blood still cries from the ground referred to the Chilean folk singer/songwriter Victor Jara. When dictator Pinochet overthrew the government, Jara was tortured by having both his hands cut off and made to play the guitar while he bled to death.
- Conor, Swinford, Ireland

A song that us New Zealanders claim for our own. RIP Greg. Thanks Bono and U2 for a true classic Carmen
- Carmen, Palmerston North, New Zealand

To me this song is very powerful and in the busy world we live in I always want to do nothing when listening to this song. I remember reading about this song in Rolling Stone mag. shortly after The Joshua Tree was released. Living in CA at the time, Joshua Tree is also a very magical place. The ending of this song is so powerful because it seems like you can hear Bono almost crying during his lyrics - a true masterpiece of allegory.
- vince, brooklyn, NY

Once again, excellent lyrics by Bono... Not just because of Greg Carroll's part, but for us, from this part of America (Southamerica I mean, not the USA), the Victor Jara's part is quite touching. His death was awful but yet evidence of artistic integrity, honesty and compromise. The man was taken to the Estadio Nacional de Chile, whith tousands of students. They were tortured there, but there were people like Jara, who became counselors and guides for the young students there. They suffered, bleed, but they kept believing in freedom, in democracy, in comunism i should say. Jara himself was thought to be a comunist! The fact is that Jara's death itself is an allegory of comittment to art and social issues. Jara's hands were cut, chopped, and then, thos military pigs threw a guitar at him and told jara to play it. Jara picked up the guitar and used it as a drum with his bleeding arms.... He was shot after that. ("And in the world a heart of darkness A fire zone Where poets speak their heart Then bleed for it Jara sang, his song a weapon In the hands of love You know his blood still cries From the ground") Truly, just like many many others's, Jara's blood "still cries from the ground"
- ALE, Necochea, Argentina

This song reminds me of when our house burned down. The single tree was scorched and I just stood there looking at my house with my wife beside me. I promised my wife everything would be ok. It was.
- javier montoya, houston, TX

Oh my gosh. This has always been one of my favorite songs b'c it felt so passionate and intense. Now I know why. I had no idea...Very moving, bless his heart.
- Shoshannah, Seattle, WA

This song's so beautiful...I heard it then went to research the place and found out the tree was gone. I was literally pretty depressed about it for a few days afterwards. I'll never get to see it (I want to move to NZ in a few years)...
- Andrea, --, NY

ummmm....zach, one tree hill is about a boy whose mother got pregnant with him in high school and his father is the most popluar man in the city; which makes his enemy his half-brother/he himself doesn't find this until high school. one tree hill is the school's address where he goes...
- Anastasia, anaheim, CA

Why do some of the best songs have such sad stories behind them? This is yet again, another great U2 song.
- AJ, Ontario, Canada

a bit of "joshua tree" trivia- the band almost called the album "the enduring chill", which is a lyric from this song. because it's such a personal song to the band, for many years bono would not play it in concert, and it was released as a single only in the new zealand market. however, it's become one of the most popular songs from "the joshua tree" album because so many people respond to the intense emotion of the song. it's definitely my favorite U2 song...
- michael, new york city, NY

The Maori name for One Tree Hill is "Maungakeikei" and it was a great spot to sit and listen to U2 songs blasting loudly, until the 26th October 2000 when the tree was dismantled piece by piece over the course of a very sad morning.
- Copper, Auckland, New Zealand

there is also a show on the WB called one tree hill, it is aobut a boy whose parents are dead... i think
- zach, somewhere, MN

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